Where does “write” come from?
Write comes from Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-Germanic wrītaną, from Proto-Indo-European wrey-, ultimately from the root wer-.
write (English): To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in...
Definitions
- To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in...
Ancestry of “write”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | writen | To write draw letters on paper to form words; note the following common specialised senses |
| 2 | Old English | wrītan | to incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | wrītan | to scratch, to carve |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wrītaną | to scratch, carve; to engrave, inscribe, write |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |